The Robert Pricer Chair in Enterprise Development has been established to honor retired Professor Robert Pricer for his teaching excellence and pioneering academic study of entrepreneurship.
Named by Businessweek as one of the nation’s top 10 entrepreneurship professors in 1996, Pricer, who retired in 2002, was an innovator who designed a trailblazing applied curriculum to link his classroom to commercial business practices. His teaching methods are fundamental to the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship’s curriculum. Beloved by students and alumni, he received many University of Wisconsin-Madison honors for teaching and public service.
“It is our privilege to honor Bob Pricer. Successful people develop meaningful relationships, and that is what Bob did with students and supporters,” said James J. Weinert, whose endowed gift funded the Pricer Chair. “We are delighted that Bob is being recognized, and in a way that supports enterprise development and the new MBA Fellowship Program.”
Jon Eckhardt, executive director of the Weinert Center, is the first recipient of the Pricer Chair.
Endowed chairs are vital to academic enterprises. Being named to an endowed chair is a prestigious honor that provides sustained funding for faculty to tackle complex, long-term research projects.
“We are most grateful to Jim Weinert for his financial support and foresight in helping us develop a new approach to the training of MBA students,” Dean François Ortalo-Magné said. “The Pricer Chair recognizes the inspirational impact great faculty has on generations of students.”
As a complement to the chair, Weinert also funded a new fellowship program in enterprise development for second-year MBA students who have a passion for entrepreneurship and innovation in new ventures. The program is currently accepting applications for fellowships that will begin in the fall.
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